Thursday, June 30, 2011

In May I began receiving emails on my YouTube account, asking if I could make the Praise To The Man video in a downloadable format. What I didn't know was that the hymn was the song for May's Sharing Time in Primary. I started realizing that what I had made could make an impact.

Then, three weeks ago, I got called to be the pianist for my Ward's Primary Organization. Due to Stake Conference, this past Sunday was my first Sunday to play. Note to self: practice more on the piano. :-)

After the block of meetings, I spoke with the chorister and thought, this next month (July) is going to be on the Temple. Surly I could do something with that! And yes, I have.

For those who are also doing the Sharing Time, I made the picture of the Tabernacle of Moses. I couldn't find it anywhere on lds.org.

It's not exactly to scale and probably not at all the right colors, but the concept is there.

A better version can be found in the Church's video "Between Heaven And Earth". If you don't already have this in your library, buy it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have over the years.

Here are a few snippets I found someone else had posted on YouTube:

Solomon's Temple:

If you would like to teach children a little about Family History as part of July (Pioneer Day is just around the corner), I was part of a Stake Project a few years back called Turn Your Hearts. This includes a workbook designed to teach children how to gather information on their family, starting with themselves.

There is more to come, so please stay tuned and I'll update you when the next phase of the Temple project is finished!

For those of you who haven't seen this yet, yes, I made this video a few years back (I remember President Hinckley passed away while I was finishing the video) and posted it on YouTube. I didn't identify myself at the time, I just thought I'd put it out there using a username that wouldn't identify me really well, and see what happened.

Little did I know how things would work out with this video.

I've made a new video, for July's Primary Sharing Time on the Temple, which I will be posting separately.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Thank you, Pink, for writing this song, and for the video that makes me cry, particularly at the end.

Because of the paparazzi trying to get photos of her new daughter (link: Pink's Official Web site), she and her husband had a studio picture taken and released to the press with the money going to charity. Link: People Magazine

I'm still finishing up with the biography of Jane Austen, but as I read through the chapters of the publication of Sense & Sensibility and later Pride & Prejudice, I was struck by something. As you've noticed, Barry Manilow has come out with a timely CD that talks about what happens when you become famous. The CD is called "15 Minutes". It's a CD (and a story) worth looking into.

Jane Austen's biographer, through letters and journals of Jane Austen, her family and friends, gives the reader a glimpse into what transpired during the publication of these now-famous novels. I do need to dispel a few myths, though, before I do.

Myth #1: Females were not allowed to be published authors during Jane Austen's time.

Fact: This is not true. There were a lot of female authors during that time period, with Jane reading books from both male and female authors.

Myth #2: Jane Austen was not credited with authoring Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice until after her death.

Fact: This was also not true. Her book, Sense & Sensibility was published "By A Lady" in order to protect her from the harsh criticism Jane and her family feared she would get from the novel. Instead it met with much praise (although not all critics liked it) and word got out with a few select people that Jane had authored the novel.

When Pride & Prejudice came out, it became a huge hit. Although it was also said to be authored "By A Lady" and the author of Sense & Sensibility, at this point, even the family members were bragging about who had authored the book, so it was pretty much no longer a secret, not only in the village of Chawton where they lived, but in London also.

Due to this, Jane was confronted with fame, as well as more money than she had ever had in her possession. How did she handle it?

Based on the biographer, Jane was very concerned about both. She was in her late 30's when Pride & Prejudice came out and her identity exposed to the world. Her brother, Henry, lived in London and had been the one handling her publishing affairs. When she went to see him, she found herself with money, and with people calling on her. Some she admired, some she didn't.

She found herself having to be very cautious as to how she handled things. She was no longer someone who could sit anonymously in a room, she was a part of the crowd, who was expecting her to give her opinion on all manner of topics.

She found that she could keep her feelings on things in the world reserved herself, but allow her characters in her stories to speak for her. After all, it was simply a fictional story.

As for the fame, she enjoyed it at first, but quickly tired of it and actually longed to be back home in the peace of Chawton. She did, however, enjoy the card parties, the balls and the conversations with some of the authors she had been admiring in print. She even had an episode of frivolity, bought a new gown, hat, had her hair curled and rode through the London streets in an open barouche.

She was close to her family, her father was deceased, but her Mother, brothers and older sister Cassandra (whom she considered to be upright and perfect in all she thought and did) were her confidantes. Namely Cassandra. This was her greatest asset. They kept her grounded, and were her first priority, as shown when Henry became ill and she cancelled engagements to nurse him.

She was also weary of being too extravagant with the money, she would not want to be seen as a rich snob, not only within the family, but also with the people in Chawton. She didn't seek to make a new home in London, given her age and experience, she had witnessed enough of the pride of others to keep her humble and desire a quieter atmosphere.

Who knows, if she were alive today, she would probably identify with some of the songs on the "15 Minutes" CD.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Last night while eating dinner, one of my crowns came off of it's tooth. I'm not in a lot of pain (mild discomfort and some sensitivity). I went to the dentist today, and the tooth is not going to be able to be saved.

I'm scheduled to have the extraction done early in the morning one day next week and will need someone who can drive me there, wait in the lobby during surgery, and then take me home.

If you can help me with this, please contact me privately via email (my friends who are here locally know how to reach me). I would really appreciate the help.

For everyone else, kind thoughts and prayers are always welcome and appreciated.

That's right, you guys, the owls have started arriving. What you get next, though, is really blowing my mind:

Click on the owls on the Pottermore web site and you'll see what I mean. Go on, click on the link!

The YouTube page is absolute genius. I want to know how they did this! First of all, you have owls that have taken over the page. But that's not all.

Look at the video for the page on YouTube. Is it a static video? NO!!!! It is a live stream giving the countdown clock!

Not only is this exciting for those of us who LOVE the books, but for anyone in marketing - particularly using technology to attract and excite your customer - this is definitely a huge success. It's getting all kinds of buzz, not only within the Harry Potter fan sites, but in the news outlets as well, who are reporting on this.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

I've been called and sustained in Church today as the Pianist for Primary. There's going to be a bit of a learning curve, I'm a little familiar with the songs, but not that well. New adventures to come!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Read the article I've linked below and be sure to watch the video. The video presentation is nothing exciting by Apple standards, however the design is and it reminded me of the videos of Walt Disney introducing Disneyland (Anaheim) and later the Epcot project in Florida. I know, I'm an Apple geek.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

I'm catching up on a few Jon Stewart shows (and trying to skip over the remarks regarding human body parts), and am finding more books I want to buy. Right now I'm very interested in getting books from Richard Beeman.

The videos are not edited for content, please use discretion if you're showing this around kids.